Haunted
by AmaranthineSomnium
Summary: Just a random story I wrote while procrastinating homework. The Doctor is tired.


Author's note: Just another story I wrote in a hurry while trying to get out of an English paper—different paper this time. My English professor is a sadist! It sucks, but the plot bunny bit. It must have had a cold… I think I'll go through and edit some time when brain doesn't hurt. Happy Valentine's Day!

Disclaimer: Own the story, not the Doctor. Pity shame.

**Haunted**

He had never felt so tired, so old in his entire life—and that was saying something. Ageing was something almost foreign to him, but he guessed that it might feel something like how he felt. Sighing deeply, he half-heartedly pushed some buttons and pulled some levers on the TARDIS. Blowing out his cheeks he looked around, hands in his pockets. With a deciding nod of his head he sat down, leaning against one of the TARDIS's pillars. "I just need a little rest," he told himself as he closed his eyes. He had barely done so when the TARDIS was filled with the sounds of soft snoring.

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He awoke with a start. Someone was relentlessly shaking his shoulder.   
"I've never seen you sleep so long," Rose said, smiling down at him. He took her offe and jumped to his feet.  
"How long was I out?" he asked, walking over to the TARDIS controls.  
"Long enough for me to snap a couple blackmail pictures," Rose teased. "A Time Lord, drooling—how undignified." The Doctor gave her a disbelieving look.  
"I do not!" he cried, apparently horrified by the thought.  
"You did!" she laughed, obviously amused at his expense. But the Doctor just brushed it off and shook his head, trying to ignore her.  
"Oh come on," she smiled, nudging him with her shoulder. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and then turned back to checking readouts and pulling levers.  
"So where are we off to anyway?" Rose asked, brushing her fingers over a cluster of buttons.  
"I thought we might make a quick stop to your mum's." The Doctor said, pulling out his glasses as he took a closer look at the TARDIS's screen.  
"What for?" Rose asked. The Doctor looked up at her.  
"Oh, just figured she might like to see that you're all in one piece," he said. Rose laughed.  
"Sure you did," she said. "No really, why do you really want to take me home?"  
The Doctor rolled his eyes.  
"Well if you must know I fancy a nice cuppa."  
"Is that so?" Rose "And my mum's the only one who can fix you one?" He shrugged.  
"How insulting," she concluded, feigning offence. The Doctor just grinned cheekily to himself. Standing up straight he led the way to the door and opened it with a flourish.  
"Rose Tyler, welcome home!" he announced as she stepped out behind him. Rose looked around her with a grin.  
"Same as ever," she said.  
"Just what did you expect to change?" he asked, reaching for her hand and heading in the direction of Jackie's flat.

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"Hey mum, you home?" Rose called as they entered the apartment. They heard a squeal from the kitchen as Jackie made her way to the door.   
"Where have you been, love?" she cried, pulling Rose into a hug. "Seems like forever since you've been back."  
"It's only been a couple of weeks at most," the Doctor calculated, making his way past mother and daughter.  
"You ain't a mother though, are you?" Jackie retorted.  
"I should hope not." The Doctor was in the kitchen now, setting a kettle to boil.  
"What's he doing?" Jackie asked her daughter, perplexed. "Not trying some strange alien experiment in my kitchen are you?" she directed at the Doctor, who was busy looking about her cupboards. He turned around with a bewildered look on his face.  
"Actually, I was just wondering if you would mind making one of those wonderful cups of tea you do so well." Jackie, who apparently hadn't been expecting this, looked confused.  
"Is that all you want?"  
"Well, Rose might want a bit of beans on toast or something, but I'm fine with just the tea, thanks." He said smiling.  
"Oh all right," Jackie conceded, shooing them out of the kitchen. "You lot get out of my way then."  
"Gladly," said the Doctor, leading Rose to the couch and plopping down unceremoniously.  
"You're a real bum, you know that?" Rose said as she watched the Doctor made himself comfortable. He smiled cheekily and winked at her.  
"Even I need a bit of rest now and then, love," he yawned. "I feel as if I've been running on nothing for this past little while." Rose nodded her head in understanding.  
"Losing someone will do that to you, I hear." The Doctor looked at her confusedly, but she said nothing to explain herself. For a moment everything shifted in front of his eyes. Blinking, he wondered if he'd imagined it.  
"Oi! Jackie! About done with that tea yet?" The Doctor called towards the kitchen, fully expecting a rude response. When she didn't call back he thought perhaps he'd better go butter her up.  
"Jackie, do you think you could—" he started but stopped abruptly.  
"Where's your mum gone?" he said, turning back to Rose. She stared blankly back at him.  
"Jackie?" He called into her bedroom. No answer. She was nowhere to be found. He found himself out in the corridor outside the flat.  
"Excuse me," he stopped a woman who was passing by. "Did you happen to see Jackie Tyler walk by here?" The woman gave him an evil glare.  
"Think you're being funny, do you?" The woman said, sounding disgusted.  
"Pardon?"  
"Jackie Tyler's been on the dead list these past two weeks," the woman said, walking past him with a shake of the head. Rose came up behind him and put a hand on his arm. Gathering him in a hug, she wiped a tear from her eye.

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"I'm confused," the Doctor started mumbling, pulling at his hair. They were back in the TARDIS again and the Doctor was pacing back and forth. Rose just stood there, watching him silently. After several minutes of this the Doctor finally looked up.  
"What?" he asked. Rose just smiled sadly at him.  
"Why aren't you more upset about this?" he demanded, looking her in the eye.  
"Oh come off it, Doctor," she started towards him. "You knew it couldn't last forever."  
"What are you talking about?" The Doctor bristled. It was starting to feel very warm and he could feel the sweat collecting on his brow.  
"Wake up, Doctor," Rose cried passionately, tears filling her eyes. "Stop pretending. It will only drive you mad. I'm gone and I'm never coming back." She finished, turning her face down—anywhere but at him. He shook his head.  
"No." His face was set. He was determined. "No, no, no, I won't let you." He closed the distance between them by enveloping her in an embrace. He was seemingly holding on for dear life, not even bothering that she probably couldn't breathe.  
"I won't let you go again, Rose Tyler," he murmured into her hair.   
"But you don't understand," Rose's voice echoed throughout the TARDIS. "It's too late." With a lurch the Doctor fell forward onto his face. As he looked up he saw Rose—or was it Rose? It seemed more like a ghostly figure—standing above him, her hand stretched out to him.  
"Oh Doctor," she seemed to cry. "Who will hold your hand now?"  
His vision went blurry before everything went black.

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The Doctor awoke slowly, moaning softly. He opened his eyes to find himself on the floor of the TARDIS, sweat gathering on his brow. It had all been just a dream, he concluded—a pleasant dream at first, which made the ending all the more painful. Sighing deeply he wiped away the sweat and tears, stood up, and made his way to the TARDIS controls.  
It had all been just a dream—the teasing, the familiar feeling of her hand in his, Jackie yelling at him. A wonderful, beautiful, _terrible_ dream. For the first time in, oh, as long as he could remember, he felt the overwhelming urge to allow the tears to come, to welcome the sobs that would undoubtedly rack his frame. Because tears could be healing, he had heard, though, he doubted that they could heal the hole inside of him that grew as time passed.  
He suddenly remembered why he hardly ever slept anymore. He had almost forgotten during the short time that Rose was with him because he had had very little want for sleep, and even when he had, the dreams were almost always pleasant. Filled with planets they were visiting, his complex mind trying to figure out the mysteries as he slept. But it was now that he remembered why he had avoided it before. Scenes of Gallifrey and Daleks had filled his head every time he had closed his eyes—for decades. Rose had aided in the healing. Now she haunted his every thought, both waking and sleeping.  
"There's an easy solution to this, I suppose," he said as he reached his shaking hand out to push at a button. The TARDIS roared to life as the Doctor picked a destination. "Never go to sleep." The sound of the TARDIS arriving was soothing to the Doctor, and even succeeded in putting a smile on his face. Gathering up his coat, he made his way to the door of the TARDIS.  
"If only I didn't feel so tired."


End file.
